Refrigerator car



C. D. BONSALL REFR I GEHATOR CAR Filed Nov. 22

Aug. 8, 1939.

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Patentedl Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES aEFaIGERA'ron can charles D. o'nsau, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equip ment Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application November 22, 1937, Serial No. 175,761 s claims (ci. s2-1s) The invention relates to refrigerator cars for handling perishable commodities.

The objects of the invention are to provide a refrigerant container adaptable to hold solid refrigerants, such as Wet ice, Dry Ice, or a liquid refrigerant, such as brine (salt water) and to form such refrigerant container and associate it with the other elements of a car so that the cir-l culating refrigerating air may move below or around and also through-the container and be cooled by the refrigerant. thus causing the air to circulate by convection through nues and channels provided for the purpose. Refrigerant con' tainers, such as the usual brine tank, are now made with solid bottoms, tops and-side walls so that the circulating air moves outside thereof and in contact therewith, but not in direct contact with the refrigerant. By allowing the circulating air to directly engage the refrigerant the heat transfer`from the air to the refrigerant is greatly increased and the temperature of the circulating air is lowered, and the convection movement of the air is augmented, thus increasing the eiliciency frigerant container so that la liquidarefrigerant therein will spill over the walls thereofY at such a place that it must run over the pan to reach the side wall flue and thereby come in contact with the circulating air which it is passing under the refrigerant container to further cool the circulating air.

- Another'obiect is to position the air circulating apertures in the refrigerant tank sothat the ventilating air entering thereof hatchway may move through as welllas around the refrigerant tank.

In 4the drawing;

Fig. l is a partial cross section of`a .refrigerator car incorporating my invention.

Fig. 2 is a modification of the structure of Fig. l.

One or more refrigerant containers 2 arern'efv0 erably positioned on each side of the center line l of the car and adjacent the roof 8 of the car and also preferably adjacent the side or other vertical wanll l of the car. 'I'he partition I Ii is held in spaced relation to the sidewall l by a series of vertical pieces to form the vertical' iiues I2. 'I'he A further object is to form or position the reinsulated horizontally disposed partition or drip pan I 4 is positioned below the refrigerant container 2 and the space i6 is provided therebetween to form a substantially horizontal flue I6 which communicates with the vertical fiue i2. A partition or member i8 extends upwardly vfrom the inner margin of the horizontally disposed partition i4 and is spaced from the refrigerant container 2 to provide the short vertical i'luei9. The vertically disposed members I8 on opposite sides of the car are spaced apart to provide the air channel or flue 20. The usual refrigerant hatch way 22 and hinged closure 24 are shown. `Also the usual foraminous false iloor- 26 (floor rack) supported in spaced relation to the iioor 28 of the car by the stringers 30 to provide the flues 32.

The lading rests upon the foraminous floor 26 and is usually placed so as to provide vertical flues btween the component parts thereof.

In such a refrigerator car the refrigerant. in the chambers 2 cools the air surrounding them s thatf due` to the increased weight and density, the air moves down the downwardly and outwardly inclined ceiling Il (that is, in the `flues I6 be- ,tween the4 ceiling I4. and the refrigerant charnber 2) into the sidewall Avertical lues I 2, and thence into the space 32 between the floor rack 26 on the floor of the car also keeps the floor cold.

Ice, salted ice, brine, Dhy Ice or any of the usual refrigerants may be used in such a system. The arrows indicate air movement.

My improved refrigerant container or tank 2 is provided with a solid bottom 4,0 and the lower parts and side walls therefore are also solid or imperforate, while the upper parts 42 of the side walls are foraminous whereby the circulating air may come in directicontact with the refrigerant .so as to increase the capacity ofthe device for cooling the circulating air. The lower parts of the side walls of the containers are solid so as to retain the brine withinV the tank so as to obtain the maximum heat absorbing capacity therefrom. This advantage .would also be obtained from the melted ice when a solid ice is used. Experience shows that a little brine left in the car while the car is being unloaded keeps the lading cool while being inspected and unloaded.

The upper edge 4B of the solid part of the container side Il adjacent the car wall 8 is higher than the upper edge I0. ofthe opposite side 52 thereof. The ends of the container, (i. e., the walls of the container normal to the side walls 48 and 52) have the upper edges M of the solid parts thereof sloping downwardly away from the side wall 8 of the car. In sucharrangement a liquid refrigerant (such as melted ice or brine) will spill over the edge of the solid parts furthest from the side wall 8 of the car and will pass over the horizontally disposed partition or pan Il (i. e., in the substantially horizontal flue I6) thereby contacting the circulating air and iurther cooling it. Ice water will discharge from the container at slightly above 32 temperature and brine at even lower temperatures, either of which is colder than the circulating air. The upper edge 54 is preferably higher than the upper edge 50 of the container wall B2 to prevent liquid refrigerant from splashing out of the container.

The bottom solid wall 56 of the container 2 preferably slopes downwardly away from the wall 8 of the car (asshown in Fig. l) to further cause the liquid refrigerant to spill over the edge 5U of the wall 52 of the container.

Fig. 2 shows a modified construction wherein the drip pan I4 slopes downwardly toward the side wall 8 (and communicates with the side wallflue l2) and the bottom 60 also slopes downwardly toward the side wall 8 (substantially parallel with the drip pan Il). The upper' edge 6| of the solid part of the container s ide 02y adjacent the wall 8 is higher than the upper edge 03 of the opposite side 64 thereof so that the liquid refrigerant -will spill over the edge 63 into the flue i8. I

The accompanying drawing illustrates the pref ferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

`l. In a refrigerator, the combination of a vertical wall, a vertical flue associated with said wall, a refrigerant container adjacent said wall, and an insulated partition below said container and spaced therefrom-to provide a substantially horizontal flue communicating with said vertical flue, the bottom and lower parts of the sides of said refrigerant container being solid with the upper parts of said sides being foraminous, the upper edge of the solid part of the container being furthest from saidrefrigerator wall being lower than the upper edge of the solid part of any other side thereof, whereby a liquid refrigerant in said container will spill over said lowest edge and pass through said horizontal flue.

' 2. In a refrigerator, the combination of a vertical wall, a vertical flue associated with said wall, a refrigerant container adjacent said Iwall, an insulated partition below said container and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontal iiue communicating with said vertical flue, and a member extending upwardly from the margin of said partition furthest from said wall, said member being in spaced relation to the refrigerant container, the bottom and lower parts of the sides of said refrigerant container being solid with the upper parts of said sides being foraminous, the upper edge of the solid part of the container side furthest from said refrigerator wall being lower than the upper edge of the solid part of any other wall thereof, whereby a liquid refrigerant in said container will spill over said lowest edge .of the container and pass through said horizontal flue, the upper edge of said member being higher than the upper edge of the solid part of the container side furthest from said rcfrigerator wall. l

3. In a refrigerator, the combination of a vertical wall, a vertical flue associated with said wall, a Irefrigerant container adjacent said wall, and an insulated partition below said container and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontal iiue communicating with said vertical due. the bottom and the lower `parts of the walls of said refrigerant container` being solid, the upper edge of the solid part of the container side furthest from said refrigerator wall being lower than the upper edge of any other part thereof, whereby 'a liquid refrigerant in said container will spill over said lowest edge and pass through said horizontal ilue.

4. A structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the insulated partition slopes vdownwardly toward said vertical flue.

`5. A structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the bottom of the refrigerant container slopes downwardly awayfrom said refrigerator wall.y

' 6. A structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the insulated partition slopes downwardly toward said vertical flue and the bottom of the refrigerant container slopes downwardly away from said refrigerator wall.

7. A structure as defined in claim 3 wherein the insulated partition and the bottom of the refrigerant container slope downwardly toward said 

